Safely in Springfield

A record Springfield ice storm was not enough to keep us out, although it has forced the university to cancel the first week of classes. Tens of thousands of people were without power as power lines weighed down by ice touched the ground, snapped, and toppled power poles. Everything was covered by a 1-3 cm thick layer of ice, including parking meters, bicycles, basketball rings, trees, volleyball nets, and hand rails.

Today we had a top of -5C and a low of -16C, with some light snow. Andrew and I were out in our shorts; Andrew taking particular pleasure in kicking and shattering anything icy.

For photos and news of the ice storms, go to:

www.news-leader.com

This map shows the distribution of ice. Springfield is in Green county, right where the heaviest icing occurred.

Fantastic Fiji

Lush, green, warm, fertile, friendly, rugged, pristine, crystal, colourful. A 17 hour stopover in Fiji provided the opportunity to meet some of Fiji's fun loving locals and explore their islands, mountains, coral reefs, and aquatic life. A well spent $165 FJD ($125 AUD) allowed me ten hours on a schooner, which included refreshing sleep downstairs, delicious food (fruits, pastries, seafood, curries, snacks) and drinks all day, snorkeling equipment and the chance to explore two islands and their surrounding reefs.

Uninhabited Honeymoon Island's rocky mass rose steeply out of the calm surrounding sea, with a welcoming beach to one side. Taking the small boat from the anchored schooner, we hit the beach and then snorkeled around the island's reef. I wasn't prepared for the colourful beauty of the schools of friendly tropical fish which were clearly visible through the pure water. Schools of squid hovered in precise alignment, darting garfish followed us curiously, jellyfish floated obliviously. The ocean floor fell away vertically at edge of the reef, with golden sunlight shafts swallowed up by the deep, mysterious blue.

A sharp tidal rise may well have submerged the second island, inhabited by Benjamin the caretaker and his dog. Two minutes would be sufficient to walk around the island's perimeter. A volleyball net, toilet block, traditional straw umbrella like shelters and the caretaker's open residence with meeting hall attached were the only features to compliment the palm trees and shrubs. Benjamin's residence looked deliciously sufficient. Canvas on sand created the floor , on which a mattress and pillow lay. Timber framing supported the thickly thatched straw roof, providing a breezy and blissful sanctuary.

To do this tour, ask for Loma at SunVacations when you get through customs at the airport. The cruise is called "Whale's Tale". The tourist industry is suffering due to reports of the military coup, but I would never have known that one had occurred had it not been for our media. Get over there and give the locals a boost!

As I didn't have a camera, I don't have any photos, however, Jeff Hamstra has taken a beautiful photo of Honeymoon Island. Since it's copyright, you can view it by following this link: http://www.pbase.com/hamstra/image/43872448

Lord lavishes love, legalising Lorimer

In what will only be described here as a miraculous intervention from higher forces, fellow traveller Andrew Lorimer was granted his new US visa today. This means he will hook up with myself after a 5 hour wait at the St. Louis airport.

This gives me an excellent opportunity to discuss diction of American cities. Most people in Missouri say the 's' in 'Louis', so that it sounds like the 'Lewis' in C.S. Lewis. It's not 'Louie,' except apparently in that black and white movie where the girl goes on about meeting her in 'St. Louie' and 'dancing the hoochie woochie' and who knows what else. Anyway, if the Lord wills it, we'll both be at Lambert Field (St. Louis' international airport) Burger King at 11PM on the 13th of January, ready to commence another academic assault on Springfield, while America's fast food industry loses no time in beginning its assault on our arteries.

For your edification, Missouri is currently 17 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne.

Luckless, late Lorimer likely left languishing

In a bizarre development, our forthcoming journey to the USA undertook an ironic twist following fellow traveller Andrew Lormier's visit to the American "Find anyone less helpful and we'll beat it by 10%" Consulate. In fairness, once the 1.4kg of paperwork was filled out the guy inside was pretty friendly, although that will be of little comfort to Lorimer, who looks likely to be denied his US visa in time for his January 13th departure.

The mastermind of this sequel to 2005's USA operation apparently failed to exit the country in the proper bureaucratic fashion, and is now sweating on the processing of his "get out of jail free card," a form which proves he did indeed leave the USA when required. "It's stupid" he complained. "I mean, whose fault is it that they didn't rip that thing out of my passport?" Unfortunately, US officials have been as sympathetic as the Barmy Army at a Shane Warne retirement function, and a nervous wait remains.

Expect a rapturous rant from Lorimer (see link on left of screen) should his visa miraculously arrive before January 12th, and an equally excited exposition on this page. Here's hoping.

Alliteration investigation

Following Andrew's apparently alliterative blog title: "Andrew's adventures," I was reminded of many discussions held (not least with Mr. Jelbart) on the strict definition of alliteration. For some reason, I had the idea that alliterations only involve consonants, although I could never quite substantiate this suggestion.

Further investigation partly confirmed my suspicions without being conclusive. Some online sources (1, 2) confirm that alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in adjacent or neighbouring words, while others (3) suggest that vowels may also be included. The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary also neglects to specify consonant sounds as necessary for alliteration.

Perhaps most enlightening were the definitions (3, 4) of alliteration which assert that modern alliteration is associated with consonent sounds, whereas some traditions such as old English verse have in the past alliterated with vowel sounds.

Anyway, the upshot of all this is that I've just started a blog and didn't have much to write. If you really want to know what I'm up to in the USA, read Andrew's aforementioned almost alliterative accounts (5), as they're most likely to be far more entertaining. If in doubt, check this one. Then go do your homework or whatever you're procrastinating from.

Oh, and in closing, although my title "Kev's Chronicle" does not begin with the same consonant, according to some of the above definitions it is actually alliteration, as the same consonant sound is used.

1. http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/alliteration.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliteration
3. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alliteration
4. http://www.answers.com/topic/alliteration
5. http://arkmhed.blogspot.com/